Post by Sharon
A simple walk outdoors can lend itself to a treasure trove of photographic opportunities. I'm going to share some tips on capturing nature with a new look-
MACRO
This is the simple act of zooming in on one aspect of a bigger object.
I use it a lot in urban exploration.
Instead of a photograph of an entire room, I zoom in on a dusty corner with its peeled wallpaper. You get a sense of something familiar and your mind fills in the rest.
This sunflower (above) was beautiful, but the meeting of seed buds and petals with backlighting was a visual we don't normally take.
It's not often we lean over and study a piece of a flower. We see it as a whole. And we miss the components of beauty.
PERSPECTIVE
Quit taking photos while standing up and looking at something from a typical perspective.
Get down on your belly and photograph the flower. Perhaps turn the cell camera on selfie mode and turn it toward the plant to get an unexpected view.
Consider upskirting the object but putting on selfie mode and shoving the cell phone or camera under the toadstool to see it from a perspective we never view.
Take photos from above.
Take them in silhouette.
Move around and aim so there is something poignant in the background.
Use some backlighting.
Just don't do the typical walking around taking a shot from a view we always get.
This shot (above) was through the door's peephole.
WILDLIFE
Capturing wildlife in photography involves opportunity and timing. Sunrise hours and sunset hours are your best bets, but you must go to where they find priorities being met - waterways and flowers.
You can also set up bird feeders and hummingbird feeders, bird baths, and a happy flower garden so that your own yard is a place that attracts these creatures and the opportunities.
Your zoom is your best bet because none of these are going to be happy if you are near. Take many shots in a row because a bird can turn its head and the silhouette is beautiful or the bee can load up its legs with pollen and look adorable.
WATER
Once again, I would advise getting down on the water level and take full advantage of reflections!
This macro shot of a water hose is amazing! Something you see often in the summertime and never really see the art in its movement.
Leaned over the water, I capture me and my reflection together!
This (above) is the view inside my ice water glass.
LIGHTING
I call it "godshine" when you shift the camera just a touch and a crack of light comes through. Use lighting, whether dappled, shadowed, silhouetted, dreary, glaring - just enjoy the effect!
I've been known to use bubbles as they can create a dynamic that not only reflects nature and light, but adds whimsy. I actually use bubbles at home in nearly every room. Blowing them helps me smile and also brainstorm.
WEATHER/SUNSET
Weather and sunsets are fantastic photo ops and all you have to do is go outside when weather is exploding and sunsets are blazing.
This photo (above) was rain coming off a roof, but it created the oddest void of water that needed to be captured.
PEOPLE
It's human nature to photograph people as if we are filling up a family album, but those shots don't offer much in the way of understanding human beauty, uniqueness, or even setting a magical tone that makes us smile or melt.
Sometimes, a part that is beautiful like a ring on a finger, a brush of fingers in the hair is a better statement of grace, mood, beauty, and soul.
With many of us still living COVID isolated lives, going outdoors and taking up photography can be a way of dealing with the stresses.
I'm a HUGE advocate of living each day with gratitude and being thankful. Nothing makes you more thankful for what you have than focusing your attention on it.
The magic is always there, it's just up to you to bring notice to it!
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